Hanson was not part of the dive group, but was instructing his daily cruise tour, and got to the Madeira shipwreck site around 1:45. He noticed there were still a lot of divers and equipment at the beach, but not in the water.

A diver told Hanson that Timmerman was taking an instructional class, and may have gotten separated from the group.

According to the sheriff's office, witnesses had seen Timmerman surface and call for help, but no one was able to reach him before he went underwater. Two members of the group located him unresponsive on the bottom of the lake.

Timmerman was brought to shore and CPR was attempted. He was then transferred to a helicopter landing zone at Gooseberry Falls State Park, where he was pronounced dead.

Joe Cheetham, partial owner of Lake Superior Diving Supply, says the buddy system is in place to prevent tragedies like this.